Safta Brâncoveanu (1776–1857) was a Romanian noblewoman and philanthropist.

Biography

She was the daughter of Teodor

Balș Balș () is a town in Olt County, Oltenia, Romania. The town administers three villages: Corbeni, Româna, and Teiș. Geography The town is situated on the Wallachian Plain and lies on the banks of the river Olteț. It is located in the northwe ...

and Zoe Rosetti-Balș and married in 1793 to Grigore Brâncoveanu, lord of Craiova. She became famed as a great benefactor of hospitals, monasteries, churches and charitable projects. After being widowed in 1832, she withdrew with her mother to

Văratec Monastery Văratec Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox women's monastery located in north-eastern part of the country, in Văratec village, Agapia Commune, Neamț County. It is situated at 12 km from Târgu Neamț and 40 km from Piatra Neamț. It i ...

, where she became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

in 1840. In 1835–38, she founded the famous charity hospital Spitalul Brâncovenesc for the poor in Bucharest.

References

* Constantin, Gane (1976). Trecute vieti de doamne si domnițe. p. 322 {{DEFAULTSORT:Brancoveanu, Safta 19th-century people from the Principality of Wallachia 1776 births 1857 deaths Romanian philanthropists Romanian women philanthropists 19th-century Wallachian women 18th-century Wallachian women 18th-century people from the Principality of Wallachia 19th-century Moldavian women